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Tapping the U.S. West
September 19th, 2014
Courtesy of National Geographic, an interesting look at the American West: The American West faces persistent drought, whether or not relief comes this winter. When will the hard choices be made? For three generations the Diener family has farmed the same ten square miles of Central Valley dirt. In the 1920s they grew barley and […]
Read more »Iran May Import Water From Tajikistan To Avert Crisis
September 19th, 2014
Via Bloomberg, a report that Iran may import water from Tajikistan to avert a crisis: Iran is considering importing water from neighboring Tajikistan as the government allocated emergency funds to help avert a supply crisis in the capital Tehran. Iranian officials discussed the possibility of importing water during a trip to Tajikistan this month, the […]
Read more »Water Wars: Conflicts Of Future Likely To Be Sparked By Climate Change
September 18th, 2014
Courtesy of Foreign Policy, a look at how climate change may spark conflicts over resources like water: To the long list of the world’s woes, add another: the growing impact of climate change, which could heighten tensions among nations and even spark new wars. That’s the grim assessment of the government’s new National Intelligence Strategy, […]
Read more »The Thirsty Dragon: Water Release At Yunnan Dam Sparks SE Asian Alarm
September 18th, 2014
Via GoKunming, a report on how a water release at Yunnan dam is sparking SE Asian alarm: A huge hydroelectric facility in southern Yunnan is causing tension between China and several of its downstream Southeast Asian neighbors. The Jinghong dam (????), which stretches across the Mekong River, is currently discharging water in an effort to […]
Read more »The Thirsty Dragon: China Reduces Wheat Irrigation As Farming Depletes Groundwater
September 16th, 2014
As reported by Bloomberg, China is adopting measures that place water security over grain production for the first time: China is reducing crop irrigation in regions with water shortages as the world’s biggest grain consumer seeks to ease pressure on declining aquifers. Hebei province, the nation’s third-biggest wheat grower, will cut wheat irrigation by 760,000 […]
Read more »Growing Water Tensions In Central Asia
September 16th, 2014
Two recent reports on growing water tensions in Central Asia. The first is a summary via Eurasia Review: Growing tensions in the Ferghana Valley are exacerbated by disputes over shared water resources. To address this, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan urgently need to step back from using water or energy as a coercive tool and focus […]
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